Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes is confident Manuel Neuer will return to the action before the end of the season.
The goalkeeper has not played since September, with a foot injury keeping him sidelined from both domestic and international duty.
Neuer has had a number of comebacks aborted due to setbacks but this time he seems to have found the right path to recovery and Heynckes has suggested he could face FC Koln on the first weekend of May.
I know what I'm doing, I have a clear plan, always.
Jupp Heynckes
The 32-year-old may then also feature in the second leg of Bayern's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
If all goes to plan, he should be ready to captain Germany as they defend their title at this summer's World Cup in Russia.
Heynckes says he and the medical staff have deliberately taken their time with Neuer but having seen him continually improve in training, is confident he will be back in the near future.
"Manuel works great, he's going to be integrated into the group today," the veteran coach told reporters. "He's going to do the warm-up and pass-training, and then we'll keep looking at the goalkeeper training, and we're all very happy with the overall development.
"I know what I'm doing, I have a clear plan, always, and you'll see that when I put it into practice. The discussion comes way too early, but for me it is no discussion whatsoever. With Manuel we did everything right, he's been built so consistently that he can still play and ride to the World Cup this season, which was not easy."
Saturday sees Bayern travel to Hannover for a game they are 2/5 to win, with the draw 4/1 and the hosts 6/1.
The Bavarians are 12121/1 for the Champions League, while Germany can be backed at 8/1 to defend their World Cup title.
View all Soccer betting
Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes is confident Manuel Neuer will return to the action before the end of the season.
The goalkeeper has not played since September, with a foot injury keeping him sidelined from both domestic and international duty.
Neuer has had a number of comebacks aborted due to setbacks but this time he seems to have found the right path to recovery and Heynckes has suggested he could face FC Koln on the first weekend of May.
I know what I'm doing, I have a clear plan, always.
Jupp Heynckes
The 32-year-old may then also feature in the second leg of Bayern's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
If all goes to plan, he should be ready to captain Germany as they defend their title at this summer's World Cup in Russia.
Heynckes says he and the medical staff have deliberately taken their time with Neuer but having seen him continually improve in training, is confident he will be back in the near future.
"Manuel works great, he's going to be integrated into the group today," the veteran coach told reporters. "He's going to do the warm-up and pass-training, and then we'll keep looking at the goalkeeper training, and we're all very happy with the overall development.
"I know what I'm doing, I have a clear plan, always, and you'll see that when I put it into practice. The discussion comes way too early, but for me it is no discussion whatsoever. With Manuel we did everything right, he's been built so consistently that he can still play and ride to the World Cup this season, which was not easy."
Saturday sees Bayern travel to Hannover for a game they are 2/5 to win, with the draw 4/1 and the hosts 6/1.
The Bavarians are 12121/1 for the Champions League, while Germany can be backed at 8/1 to defend their World Cup title.
View all Soccer betting
Source: bet365.com